The Mercurial Maestro

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The New York Sun

For three days, Carnegie Hall served as a Russian house. Valery Gergiev, the mercurial maestro from the Caucasus, brought music from the Russian opera and Russian ballet. He also brought his Kirov Orchestra, from St. Petersburg — along with the associated chorus and a slew of vocal soloists. Mr. Gergiev is a great champion of the Russian musical heritage. Indeed, he has introduced it to Western audiences who might otherwise know little about it.

We should discuss some nomenclature, before going any further: In the Soviet period, the Mariinsky Theatre was renamed for Sergei Kirov, the slain Bolshevik leader. (In all likelihood, Stalin found it convenient for him to expire.) When the Soviet Union dissolved, the theater reclaimed the old name. But when they travel in the West, they continue to go by “Kirov.” That’s because all of us are used to it. The plan is to drop “Kirov” eventually and be the “Mariinsky,” everywhere. And when will that be? The Soviet Union ended in 1991. That was not yesterday. I say, give “Kirov” two more years — maybe three — then settle on “Mariinsky,” letting the public-relations chips fall where they may.

On Saturday, December 1, Mr. Gergiev and his company presented Act I of Glinka’s opera “Ruslan and Ludmilla.” Its overture is well-known in these parts; it’s virtually a chestnut. But the opera at large is hardly known at all. Also on that concert, Mr. Gergiev conducted Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” (Always and everywhere well-known.) And, the following afternoon, he conducted Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden,” complete. That was a magnificent performance — first-class in every way. The Kirov/Mariinsky people wrapped it up on Tuesday night. On the first half of their program was more Stravinsky: the ballet “Les noces,” or rather, its concert version. Seldom will you see as peculiar a configuration onstage: four pianos, percussion, vocal soloists, and a sizable chorus. And the conductor, of course. “Les noces” is one of Stravinsky’s forays into primitivism, and it is raw, charged. The story concerns the rites of a Russian folk wedding.

What with a very busy, talky score, and a story that involves high-strung, querulous family members, you may think of “Les noces” as a Russian “Gianni Schicchi,” without the fun. (Then again, you may not.)

Mr. Gergiev had a handle on this work, leading a jolting performance. The music was savage, pulsing, and somewhat alarming. Often “Les noces” seems to be a festival of rhythm and chant — and Mr. Gergiev was tuned to every beat. Over the years, I have written that this conductor has something “elemental” about him. Even when he is subpar, this quality seems to be present. And, of course, it served him very well in “Les noces.”

The orchestra and its playing were not especially polished. But then, you would probably not have wanted it another way.

Singing the part of the bride was a young soprano named Mlada Khudoley, who was lyric and clear, bold and dauntless — a fascinating combination. And her stamina was remarkable. The other singers were vibrant and soulful, offering their Slavic throbs. In his residency at Carnegie Hall, Mr. Gergiev kept throwing Russian singers at us — dozens of them — relatively unknown in the West, but big deals back home, or at least significant deals.

On the second half of Tuesday night’s concert, Mr. Gergiev gave us Act II of Borodin’s “Prince Igor.” Is this the act in which we get the Polovtsian Dances? You bet it is. We also get major arias or monologues belonging to Prince Igor, Vladimir, and Khan Konchak. Chaliapin made a beloved and storied recording of Konchak’s music in 1927.

Evgeny Nikitin was supposed to sing the title role, Prince Igor, but he was indisposed, replaced by the baritone Sergei Murzaev. The sub was vocally glowing and dramatically compelling. You felt you were getting the real Russian McCoy. Another such McCoy was Alexei Tanovitski, the bass singing Konchak. He was canny all through his music. And even on this concert stage, Messrs. Murzaev and Tanovitski did a little acting, to good effect.

A young lyric tenor, Sergei Semishkur, sang Vladimir, and you could almost consider him a Russian Matthew Polenzani. He was fresh, sweet, thoughtful — a Vladimir, indeed. By the way, have you ever heard Jussi Bjoerling sing Vladimir’s Act II music? He uses Swedish, not Russian, but you would be hard-pressed to hear anything better.

Mr. Gergiev conducted all this with his feet flat on the floor — on the stage, no podium — and he did well. Parts of “Prince Igor” were shimmering, alluring, and perfectly Borodin-like. As in “Les noces,” the orchestra sounded very Russian, not to be mistaken for, say, the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy. This playing had earth in it. But it was also sloppy, in contrast to the playing in “The Snow Maiden.” And those Polovtsian Dances at the end? Mr. Gergiev took them lightning fast, almost unenjoyably fast — and the Kirov/ Mariinsky forces could not quite handle what was asked of them.

Still, these pages were not unexciting.

And speaking of pages: All series long, we did not have the benefit of Carnegie Hall’s supertitles. If you didn’t know the works, and wanted to know what was going on, you had to bury your head in librettos. This was most unfortunate. It detracted from the overall experience. Why could not the supertitles be used? Some union restriction or prohibition?

In any event, if New Yorkers are hungry for Russian opera, they can have another helping, right away. Starting tonight, Valery Gergiev appears at the Metropolitan Opera, leading Prokofiev’s “War and Peace.” Long book, long opera — well worth it.


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